Adam Renn Olenn | December 10, 2013

Until you’ve seen a Chapman Stick performed live, the music it produces sounds too big to be real. A twelve-string electric instrument, it’s sort of like a guitar and a bass fused together, but played with a pianistic tapping of the fingers to activate the strings, instead of plucking or strumming them. And one of the best Chapman Stick players in the world is Tom Griesgraber.

Griesgraber first learned of Berklee while taking music lessons as a high school student. After attending a Berklee in LA session, he set his heart on Berklee, but knew he had his work cut out for him to succeed there. Griesgraber began taking courses at MiraCosta college, and soon distinguished himself, tutoring other students, recording, and helping with administrative duties. He then transferred to Berklee, and two years later graduated summa cum laude.

Griesgraber has performed with or opened for the California Guitar Trio, the Tony Levin Band, the Dixie Dregs, Adrian Belew, Tower of Power, the Bad Plus, and many, many more, as well as playing the Grammy Awards after-party. He’s currently writing, performing, and co-producing the sophomore album by Rymo of Slightly Stoopid, and plans to tour the U.S. and Europe this spring with his duo, Unnamed Lands, with Bert Lams of the California Guitar Trio.